Purpose Dignity Action - PDA

Update! Do an an unexpected conflict, we need to reschedule our planned Fourth Friday CoLEAD webinar, moving it from this Friday to October 25. We hope we will see you then!

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: PDA Fourth Fridays Webinar Series: CoLEAD. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar. Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: PDA Fourth Fridays Webinar Series: CoLEAD. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.

"There’s no denying that Seattle’s public spaces require action, but if we’re going back to the well, we should go to one with water. Not only do we have a rich history of having successfully revitalized public spaces, but we’ve done so without exclusion. History tells us that we’ve figured out more than we realize. Seattle should take a closer look."

Op-Ed: Seattle’s Banishment Zones Are Misguided, Public Space Guardianship Offers Fix - The Urbanist # Activating public spaces is a worthy goal, but it takes welcoming people in with placemaking and guardianship, not banishing those deemed undesirable.

PDA co-ED Lisa Daugaard and UW researcher Katherine Beckett explore why banishment zones, while tempting, are unproductive. But the answer it is not do nothing: it is do more of what we know works. They explain:

"The recent successful activation of Westlake Park, Occidental Park, Pioneer Park and City Hall Park involved multidepartment coordination and public-private partnerships and have, by all accounts, successfully mitigated the sort of conditions SODA and SOAP orders are intended to tackle. No one has been banned and no one is being arrested simply for being there. Enforcement plays a role but is focused on specific behaviors. Landscape improvements, a “guardian” role (played by Downtown Seattle Association employees, park rangers and other partners) and amenities drawing a diverse population into the area create an appealing atmosphere and a feeling of safety. To the credit of all involved, these spaces have become welcoming to all, while also remaining open to all."

Why Seattle's idea for banishment in crime 'hot spots' won't work | Op-Ed We've found that banishment does nothing to resolve the underlying conditions that generate visible homelessness and addiction.